ABSTRACT
Before we address the practicalities of doing fieldwork, this chapter takes a more detailed look at the relationship between anthropology and fieldwork methods. Primary ethnographic fieldwork remains something of a sacred cow in anthropology. Venerated as a key ‘rite of passage’, it is often celebrated as idiosyncratic and something that can only be learnt by doing. While acknowledging the contingency inherent to all fieldwork, this chapter considers the vital relationship that exists between research questions, theoretical or anthropological perspectives and fieldwork methods. Different projects (and different aspects of the same project) often require different methods and approaches, and the main purpose of this chapter is to consider the possibilities offered by a broad range of fieldwork repertoires. Our focus here is on primary fieldwork but many aspects of discussion apply equally to secondary or library-based research projects.
